SAN RAFAEL - Green Party gubernatorial candidate Laura Wells was arrested here Tuesday as she was attempting to legally enter - with a ticket - the Governor's Debate at Dominican University. Private security arrested Ms. Wells, handcuffed her and held her against her will until San Rafael Police intervened.

Ms. Wells, based on the citizen arrest by Barbier Security agents for allegedly trespassing, now must appear in court.....ironically, on Election Day, Nov. 2.

"Republicans and Democrats will go to any lengths, even arresting candidates, to keep the truth from California voters. There are solutions, but voters aren't being allowed to hear from independent candidates. Meg and Jerry will spend tens of millions of dollars in advertising but still won't address the problems plaguing us," said Ms. Wells, after being released on her own recognizance.

Ms. Wells, 62, a financial and business analyst, and political activist who resides in Oakland, polled more than 400,000 votes as a candidate for controller in 2002, the most ever polled by a Green Party partisan candidate in California.

With green gags covering their mouths, protestors from the Green Party of California picketed the Governor debate here Tuesday - upset that although billed as a "eco debate," the affair unfairly excludes ballot-qualified Green Party candidate Wells.

"The debate is a fraud. Limiting it to Whitman and Brown is not just anti-green, it is anti-democratic and anti-republican," said Ms. Wells, noting polls that would qualify a candidate to participate in the debate were invalid because they didn't even ask voters if they favored Laura Wells. The only choices given to those polled were Whitman or Brown.

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